Game apparatus.



No. 709,632. Patented Sept. 23, I902.

H. A. HANNUM.

GAME APPARATUS. (Application filed Dec. 5, 1901.) (No Model.)

INVENTOR (ATTORNEY;

a! ////////Y A s UNITED STATES PATENT Demon.

HENRY A. HANNUM, OF OAZENOVIA, NEW YORK.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 709,632, dated September 23, 1902.

Application filed December 5,1901. Serial No. 84,734. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY A. HANNUM, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cazenovia, in the county of Madison, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Game Apparatus, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the class of game apparatus in which a plate is provided with a main path upon its surface and with ports in said main path disposed with by-paths to divert from said ports a ball or analogous weight adapted to pass through the ports and propelled in the main path by manipulation of the plate.

The object of the invention is to render the game more interesting and unique in its effeet; and to that end the invention consists in the novel construction and combination of the constituent parts of the game apparatus, as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of a game apparatus embodying my invention; and Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical transverse sections, respectively, in lines X X and Y Y in Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

a represents a plate of any suitable shape in outline, preferably circular or nearly circular, as shown. Said plate is firmly secured to the inner side of a rim Z) of a box, which is preferably provided with a permanently-attached bottom plate 0, forming a compartment under the plate a. Said rim projects above the plate a and forms the outer wall of the main path CZ, which may be extended in any desired direction upon the plate a. I preferably form the said main path tortuous, especially when the plate a is of circular or nearly-circular form, as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, in which case I prefer-to form the path (1 spiral. Within the main path d is a plurality of orifices or ports 6 6, formed in the plate a and arranged with by-pathsff between said ports and walls of the main path (Z. An additional port 6 is in the plate a at the inner end of the main path d, which is contracted thereat sufficiently to prevent any by-path at the sides of said port and to compel the escape through said port of the ball g, accidentally landed at said end of the path d, said ball dropping into the subjacent compartment of the box, which compartment is provided with an orifice it, through which the ball can be expelled.

Z Z represent levers, which are pivoted at or near the centers of their lengths to astationary post P beneath the plate a and are protected by the permanently-attached bottom plate 0. To one end of each of these levers is rigidly attached a suitable figure Z Z, one of which is in this instance represented of the form of a goose and the other of the form of a crow to render the game more interesting.

The opposite end of each of said levers is directly under one of the parts 6 to cause the lever to he tilted by the ball g dropping through the port and onto the subjacent end of the lever Z. Directly over each figure Z and in range therewith is an aperture tin the plate a to allow said figures to be moved from a concealed position under the plate a to an exposed position above said plate, which movement is produced by the ball dropping onto the lever Z, as aforesaid. To prevent the ball g from traversing the slots t1 and interfering with the movement of the figures Z" Z, I form said slots in an inclosure C, which is separated from the path d.

To guard against excessive free movement .of the levers Z Z, I employ a suitable springs,

preferably formed of fine wire bent into the shape of a yoke which bears with its ends on the sides of the levers and presses them into frictional contact with the post P.

In operating the game apparatus the figures Z Z are to be first pushed down into concealed position, then the ball 9 is placed into the main path d, and by manipulating the box so as to rock the plate a the ball is caused to travel in the path d. The object of the game is to cause the ball 9 to pass through one of the ports 6, which is directly over the raised end of one of the levers Z. The weight of the ball dropping onto said end of the lever tilts said lever and causes the figure Z 011 the opposite end of said lever to protrude through the slot 't. The difficulty of guiding the ball to the aforesaid port arises from the by-paths f, which tend to divert the ball from path upon the said plate, ports through said the port, and consequently the player fails to l accomplish the desired object of moving one of the figures into an exposed position above the plate a.

In addition to the ports through which the ball actuates the figure l I prefer to provide the plate a with ports, as shown at e e in Fig; 7 of the drawings, which ports lead directly to the bottom of the box, from which the ball is discharged through the orifice h.

I do not limit myself to any specific number of ports nor number and shape of the figures l, as these parts of the apparatus are susceptible of modifications without depriving the apparatus of the salient features of my invention.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A game apparatus consisting of a box provided with a permanently-attached bottom plate, a plate attached to the rim of the box below the top thereof and forming a compartment under said plate,a tortuous main plate disposed with by-paths between the ports and Wall of the main path, an aperture in said plate separate from the ports, a lever pivotally supported in the aforesaid co1npartment and having one end directly under one of the ports, a figure carried on the opposite end of said lever in range with the aforesaid aperture, a ball propelled in the main path and adapted to drop through the ports, and an opening in the aforesaid compartment for expulsion of the dropped ball as set forth.

2. Agame apparatus consisting of a plate, a main path disposed spirally upon said plate, ports distributed lengthwise of said path and disposed with by-paths between the ports and wallof the main path, an apertureiu the plate beyond said ports, a figure normally concealed under the plate and movable to exposure through said aperture, and a weight propelled in the main path by manipulation of the plate and adapted to enter the ports and throw the concealed figureintothe aforesaid exposure as set forth.

3. A game apparatus consisting of a plate, a main path upon said plate, ports through the plate within the said main path and dis posed with by-paths between the ports and walls of the main path, an aperture in the plate, a vertically-oscillatory lever pivotally supported beneath the plate and disposed with one of its ends directly under one of the ports, a figure projecting upward from the opposite end of said lever in range with the aforesaid aperture, and a ball propelled in the paths by manipulation of the plate and adapted to enter the ports as set forth.

at. A game apparatus consisting of a plate, a main path upon said plate, ports through the plate within said path and disposed with by-paths between them and the walls of the main path, an inclosure upon the plate separated from the aforesaid paths, apertures in the plate Within said inclosure, levers pivotally supported beneath the plate and each disposed with one end directly under one of the ports, figures on the opposite ends of the levers and in range with the apertures in the inclosure, and a ball propelled in the main path by manipulation of the plate and adapted to pass through the ports and to depress the underlying end of one of the aforesaid levers as set forth.

5. A game apparatus consisting of a plate, a main path upon said plate, ports through the plate within said path and disposed with by-paths at their sides, an inclosure upon the plate separated from said paths, apertures in the plate within the inclosure, a stationary post beneath said plate, levers pivoted to the sides of said post, a spring pressing the levers into frictional contact with the post, each of said levers disposed with one of its ends directly under one of the ports, figures carried on the opposite ends of the levers in range with the apertures in the inclosure, and a hall propelled in the main path and adapted to pass through the ports and depress the underlying end of one of the levers as set forth.

6. A game apparatus consisting of a plate, a main path upon said plate, ports through the plate Within said path and disposed with by-paths at their sides, the end of the main path contracted in width and a dischargeport in said end, an inclosure upon the plate separated from said paths, apertures in the plate within the inclosure, a stationary post beneath said plate, levers pivoted to the sides of said post, a spring pressing the levers into frictional contact with the post, each of said levers disposed with one of its ends directly under one of the ports, figures carried on the opposite ends of the levers in range with the apertures in the inclosure, and a ball propelled in the main path and adapted to pass through the ports and depress the underlying end of one of the levers as set forth.

HENRY A. HANNUM. Witnesses:

J. J. LAASS, F. L. KENT. 

